The dependence of the etch mechanism of lithographically seeded macropores in low-doped p-type silicon on water and hydrofluoric acid (HF) concentrations has been investigated. Using different HF concentrations (prepared from 48 and 73 wt.% HF) in organic electrolytes, the pore morphologies of etched samples have been related to in situ impedance spectra (IS) obtained by Fast Fourier Transform ...

We demonstrate the fabrication by anodization of niobium oxide microcones, several microns long, from aqueous solutions of 1 wt% hydrogen fluoride (HF) with varied sodium fluoride (NaF) concentration (0–1 M). Raman spectroscopy and x-ray diffractometer analysis revealed the as-grown microcones to be crystalline Nb2O5−x with preferred (1 0 0) and (0 1 0) orientations. The overall Nb2O5−x formati...

BACKGROUND Intracellular signaling pathways involved in skeletal myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform alterations during heart failure (HF) are not completely understood. We tested the hypothesis that diaphragm expression of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and myogenic regulatory factors is changed in rats with myocardial infarction (MI) induced HF. METHODS Six months after MI rats were...

We report the optical and dielectric properties in hafnium (Hf)-doped lithium niobate (LN) crystals. We investigated samples of congruent composition with various doping concentration varying from 0 to 8 mol%. The clamped and unclamped values of the electrooptic coefficient r22 of Hf-doped LN and the corresponding dielectric permittivity as well, have been experimentally determined and compared...

BACKGROUND Galectin-3, a biomarker associated with fibrosis and inflammation, has been implicated in development and progression of heart failure (HF) and predicts increased mortality and morbidity in this condition. HF frequently develops after myocardial infarction (MI), contributing to worse outcome. The aim of this study is to assess the association between galectin-3 levels and various cli...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to ascertain whether expressions of adipokines in the myocardium or their circulating levels can provide prognostic information concerning patients with chronic heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS Circulating levels of 3 adipokines (leptin, adiponectin, and resistin), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and high-sensitivity C-reactiv...

In the past decade, there has been a literal explosion of studies examining cardiac biomarkers in heart failure (HF). Among the many reasons for this fact is that measurements of such biomarkers as natriuretic peptides (the current gold standard biomarker for HF diagnosis, prognosis, and management decisionmaking) are easy and safe to obtain, and they can potentially reveal important informatio...

Chronic consumption of a high-fat (HF) diet by female rats in their postweaning period resulted in significant increases in body weight and plasma levels of insulin, glucose, and triglycerides during pregnancy compared with female rats consuming a standard rodent laboratory chow (LC). On gestational day 21, plasma insulin levels and the insulin secretory response of islets to various secretogog...

BACKGROUND Plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a diagnostic and prognostic marker in heart failure (HF). Although renal function is reported as an important clinical determinant, precise evaluations of the relationships of renal function with hemodynamic factors in determining BNP have not been performed. Therefore, we evaluated the association of plasma BNP concentrations with LV end-di...

The current investigation was undertaken to study the absorption and plasma concentration of carbohydrate-derived nutrients [glucose, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and lactate] and the apparent insulin production in sows fed diets containing contrasting types and contents of dietary fiber. Six sows were fed 3 experimental diets, low fiber (LF; 177 g of dietary fiber and 44 g of soluble fiber/...